Stand-up wheelchair

ABSTRACT

A wheelchair including motor-operated means for raising and lowering a partially paralyzed person from a seated to a substantially standing position. The same motor also provides propelling means for the wheelchair while in both its lower and raised position. The seat, arms, back and front braces form a parallelogram which is pivotable about its axes to form a back support when raised to the standing position. Suitable means are provided for restraining the patient in the chair when in the standing position to provide support, both while standing and moving around in the upright position.

[451 Apr. 30, 1974 United States Patent [191 Weant et al.

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[73] Assignee: Arthur Schwartz Primary Examiner-Casmir A. NunbergAttorney, Agent, or FirmArthur Schwartz Edgewater, Md.

ABSTRACT A wheelchair including motor-operated means for raising andlowering a partially paralyzed person from a seated to a substantiallystanding position. The same motor also provides propelling means for thewheel- 2 o N ml 0.

297/68, 297/339, 297/DlG. l0

chair while in both its lower and raised position. The seat, arms, backand front braces form a parallelogram which is pivotable about its axesto form a back sup- 600 N .6 54 1 0 .1 6 A7m mo WM3 m w M a m 2 m 1 3"7h 461 Ar "m6 m 00 o 9 C 6 ll mk IF UN 55 230 3 port when raised to thestanding position. Suitable means are provided for restraining thepatient in the chair when in the standing position to provide support,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS both while standing andmoving around in the upright position.

5/86 5/68 14 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 3,379 450 4/l968 Jones et3,640,566 2/l972 Hodge.............

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PATENIEDAPR 30 m4 SHEET 2 OF 4 FIG. 2

U E F PATENTEWnao m4 11807795 sum 3 [1F 4 STAND-UP WHEELCHAIR BACKGROUNDAND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Reference is first made to U.S. Pat. No.3,463,146, issued Aug. 26, 1969, to Arthur Schwartz and Frederick L. Daywherein an invalid mobility device was provided for not only raising andlowering a patient, but also propelling him in the standing position.The instant invention is designed to achieve substantially the samegoals as the Schwartz'et al Patent; however, it will also provide adevice which may be used as a wheelchair both for a feeling of securityin the patient, and the advantages of having the availability of awheelchair.

Reference is made to the introductory portion of the above-mentionedpatent wherein the background as well as the therapeutic advantages ofpositioning partially paralyzed persons in a substantially standingposition was discussed. Also referred to in that patent was some of theprior art known at the time.

Reference should also be made to US. Pat. Nos. 3,261,031, 3,379,450 and3,406,772 which all provide wheelchairs which can be pivoted to avariety of ,positions including a standing position. These are allmotoroperated; however, they have the common disadvantage of beingextremely complex, and all require a plurality of motive means for doingthe raising and lowering. Whereas, the instant invention utilizes onlyone motor for raising and lowering, as well as propelling the device ifdesired.

Another patent in the general field known to applicants is US. Pat. No.3,589,769 which also discloses a wheelchair for liftinga person to asubstantially standing position. In that device a spring motor is usedto straighten the seatand seatback to a substantially upright position.However, among other things, a spring motor does not provide theadjustability and versatility which an electric motor can provide.

It will be appreciated that the device of the instant invention hasnumerous advantages, along with the beneficial aspects to the bones,muscles, and internal organs of the body. The patient will be able toperform such functions as reaching things in kitchen cabinets, workingat a bench or the sink, as well as moving from place to place in astanding position. Further, for the non-paralyzed, yet infirm, thedevice can provide not only the basic wheelchair, but also means forassisting him to the standing position from which he can then walk.

Another distinct advantage of the invention is the ability to either useor not use the motor means for propelling the wheelchair. It is wellknown that for those individuals who are physically capable, it is bestfor them to use their hands and arms to propel the wheels. Most peopleshould not be encouraged to use the power means for propelling them ifat all possible. However, when the individual is in the standingposition and wants to move a few feet, for example from one cabinet toanother cabinet, with the instant invention he may do so withoutreturning to the seated position.

SUMMARY OFTHE INVENTION One form of the invention includes aconventional wheelchair with a seat, back and arms included in aparallelogram arrangement movable from the seat- '2 fonning position toa verticalback-bracing position. A single motor drives a screw elementwhich is connected to a means for raising the back and seat. The sameBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoingand other objects,features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent fromthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheelchair according to the instantinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a .portion of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a top plane view of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the raising and loweringmechanism;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are details of the operating mechanisms for thepower-driven belts taken along lines 55, 6-6 and 7-7 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the wheelchair in its seat-formingposition;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the wheelchair pivoted to its vertical,back-bracing position; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuitry.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings,particularly to FIG. 1, a wheelchair is seen having a pair ofconventional large wheels 1 connected to a pair of uprights 3 on a framewhich includes a pair of lower portions 5 and upper portions 7. Thewheels are conventionally rotated on a pair of axles 9. The wheels alsoinclude a usual handpropelling rim 11.

The frame includes another upright member 13 and rearwardly extendingupper and lower braces 15 and 17 respectively (FIG. 2). Conventionallypivoted to the lower frame 17 are a pair of roller wheels 19 whichprovide the ability for the wheelchair to turn on a very small radiusabout the larger wheels. The framing and wheels are conventional, and inthe instant disclosure are merely adapted from an existing wheelchaircurrently available on the market.

Connected to each of the frame elements 5 is a foo support 21 to whichis connected a lower vertical member 23. A seat 25 is connected to alower seat frame 27, which in turn is pivotally connected at 29 to aback 31 and at pivot 33 to a pair of vertical front arm supports 35. Thefront arm supports 35 are pivoted at 37 to a pair of horizontal armsupports 39, each having an arm cushion 41 thereon. The back 31 issupported on back frame elements 43, which are pivotally connected tothe arm supports 39 at a point 45 (FIG. 9).

In FIG. I a skirt or cover 47 is seen covering an operating mechanismcontained therein.

Mounted on the frame 35 is a support 49 having a plurality of push-pullknobs 51, 53, 55 and 57 connected to Bouden wires passing through cablecovers 59, 61, 63 and 65 respectively for a purpose which will bediscussed below. A support means 67 connects the rear of the support 49to the lower rearward support frame 17.

The drive mechanism includes a motor 60 mounted in the usual manner on adrive housing floor 62. An output shaft 64 is connected to a gear boxassembly 66 to reduce the rpm of the output motor. The output from thegear box 66 is connected to a pulley 68 via an output shaft 70. A secondpulley 72 is also connected to the shaft 70. A belt 74 connects pulley72 to a third pulley 76 (see FIG. 7) which rotates a screw 78. As thescrew 78 rotates a carriage block 79 moves there along, a portion ofwhich extends through a slot 80 in the back plate 81. Appropriatebearing means are positioned at 82 and 84.

As best seen in FIG. 4, a cable 86 is connected to the screw nut ofcarriage block 79 and passes around a first cable pulley 88 and thenover a second cable pulley 90. The cable is then connected to a C-shapedcrank arm 92. Arm 92 is rigidly connected to a cross-brace piece 94 onthe back 31. The cross-brace 94 is also connected to the side frames 45.

Surrounding pulley 68 is a belt 96 connecting it to a larger pulley 98mounted on a shaft 100 which will rotate therewith (see FIG. The shaft100 passes through a pair of bearings 102 and 104 and is connected toanother pair of pulleys 106 and 108. Surrounding pulleys 108 and 106 area pair of belts 110 and 112 respectively. These in turn surround largerpulleys 114 and 116 respectively (see FIG. 6).

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of blocks 117 are mounted on floor 62, thebearings 102 and 104 being mounted thereon. Hook means 118 is used toadjustably support pulley 114.

As seen in detail in FIGS. 5-7, idler arms are used to tension thevarious pulleys as follows:

Pushpull knob 51 is connected to a Bouden wire 120 in cable cover 59,the Bouden wire being connected to a lever arm 122 having an idlerroller 124 engagable with belt 96. When the knob 51 is pulled outwardly,the wire 120 pulls the idler wheel 124 out of engagement with the belt.Upon pushing the knob in,"the idler wheel 1 124 engages the belt, thuscausing tension thereon. This in turn will drive pulley 98, rotatingshaft 100.

As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the right wheel is engaged by the operationof knob 57 which in turn pulls on a wire 126 within the cable cover 65.Wire 126 is in turn connected to a lever arm 128 pivoted at 129 andhaving an idler wheel 130 thereon. Pulley 114 and arm 128 are suitablyconnected to a support 131 attached to the frame. By pulling on the knob57 the wire 126 will be pulled up so that the idler wheel 130 willtension the pulley 114, thus causing it to rotate. Since belt 110 is incontact with wheel 1, the movement of the pulley will cause the wheel torotate also. The same operation will effect the engagement of belt 112by operation of lever 55 through cable cover 63, etc.

The raising and lowering mechanism is operated by push-pull knob 53. Acable 132 is within cable cover 61 and is connected to a bell crank 134pivoted to the frame at 135 and having an idler wheel 136, thereon. Bypulling knob 53, the cable 132 is pulled up, thus pivoting bell crank134 and disengaging idler 136. By depressing knob 53, the idler 136 willengage belt 74, thus tensioning same and causing the pulley 76 torotate,

thereby raising or lowering the device, depending upon which way themotor is turning.

A spring return cylinder 140 is seen connected between one front armsupport 35 and a back frame element 43 as a safety mechanism in theevent cable 86 should break.

A line switch and breaker S1 and a three pole, polarity and motorreversing switch S2 are mounted on support 49. A limit switch S3 ismounted on the frame in contact with lever arm 122 when in the positionseen in FIG. 5. A limit switch S4 is seen in FIG. 7 mounted on the framewherein it will be contacted by bell crank 134 when idler 136 is in thenon-.tensioned position. A pair of limit switches S5 and S6 are mountedon the back plate 81 at opposite ends of screw 78 to deenergize themotor 60 when the seat has reached its respective extreme positions.

A plurality of seat belts 142 are added where needed; e.g., across thechest, across the waist and adjacent the knees. Also a pair of footblocks 144 position the feet on the foot support 21.

The electrical circuitry is seen in FIG. 10. A battery B has a positiveterminal connected via a line L1 through line switch S1 and a line L2 toPosition 1, Pole 1 of the polarity and motor reversing switch S2, and aline L3 to the motor 60. Switch S2 has three poles (Pole 1, Pole 2, andPole 3), each having Positions 1 and 2. The other side of motor 60 isconnected via lines L4 and L5, a limit switches S4, a line L6, anotherlimit switch S3, a line L7, Position 1, Pole 2 of switch S2, a line L13,switch S1 and a line L14 to the negative terminal of battery B. Inparallel with lines L5-L7 is a line L8, Position 1, Pole 3 of switch S2,a line L11, a limit switch S6, and a line L12. Line L12 can also beconnected, via a line L15 to Position 2, Pole 1 and line L13 to motor60. Line L8 is connectable through Position 2, Pole 3 of S2, a line L9,a limit switch S5, a line L10, and a line L16 to line 2-or via a lineL17, Position 2, Pole 2 of S2 to line L7. A variable resistance speedcontrol can be added to the circuit if desired.

Briefly, the operation is as follows:

Assumingthe wheelchair is in the position seen in FIG. 1, the operatorcan energize the device by actuating line switch S1. If he desires to goforward, he actuates the motor reversing switch S2 to Position 1 toplace the unit in the forward mode. Since the idlers are engaged whentheir respective knobs are down, knob 53 should be raised so that theraising mechanism is] not actuated. Switch S1 is closed, switch S2 inPosition 1, knobs 51, 55 and 57 down, limit switch S4 closed, and limitswitch S3 closed by the engagement of idler 124 (depression of knob 51).Current from the positive terminal of battery B flows through Ll, S1,L2, Pole 1 of S2, L3, Motor 60, L4, L5, S4, L6, S3, L7, Pole 2 of S2,L13, L14 to the negative terminal. If the elevating drive screw nut 79happens to be in a position between S5 and S6, S6 will be closed, thuspermitting the motor to run irrespective of the position of thepropelling drive. To turn to the right, knob 57 is pulled up, thusdisengaging idler from belt 110. Knob 55 likewise controls the leftwheel in the same manner.

When the operator desires to stop the forward motion, he can either turnswitch S1 to the off" position, or preferably simply lift knob 51.

To propell the wheelchair in the reverse direction, S1 is closed, S2 isplaced in Position 2. Current will flow from the positive terminal ofbattery Bthrough L1, S1,

L2, L16, L17, Pole 2 of S2, L7, S3, L6, S4, L5, L4, motor 60 (which nowreverses since the current through it has reversed direction), L3, Pole1 of S2, L15, L13, S1, L14 to the negative terminal of battery B. Again,if the screw nut 79 is not at either end, S5 will be closed, thuspermitting the motor to run irrespective of the position of thepropelling lever.

Assuming now the operator wishes to raise the seat to the uprightposition, he pushes knob 53 down and actuates switch S1. Motor reversingswitch S2 is set in Position 1. Limit switch S4 is open since theelevating drive is engaged (see diagram in FIG. 7). Therefore, currentflows from the) positive terminal of battery B through L1, S1, L2, Pole1 of S2, L3, Motor 60, L4, L8, Pole 3 of S2, L11, S6, L12, L13, S1,L14to the negative terminal. Idler 136 is engaged with belt 74, thusrotating pulley 76 and screw 78. By rotating the screw 78, the screw nutor block 79 will be pulled toward the end as seen in FIG. 3. This willin turn pull cable 86, rotating arm 92, thereby raising the seat. Whenthe bell crank arm 134 reaches the position wherein the seat is raised,limit switch S6 will be struck, opening the circuit, and the raisingmechanism will stop. Knob 53 may now be pulled out.

If the operator wishes to engage the propelling drive to move aboutin.the upright position, the elevating drive must be disengaged bypulling out knob 53. This will energize S4 (FIG. 7). Propelling knob 51must also be pushed down closing S3.

To return to the seated position, S1 is closed and S2 is placed inPosition 2. Switch S4 is open since knob 53 is depressed (FIG. 7).Current will flow from the positive terminal, through Ll, S1, L2, Pole 1of S2, L16, L10, S5, L9, Pole 3 of S2, L8, L4, Motor 60 which now willrun in the reverse direction, L3, Pole 1 of S2, L15, L13, Sl,Ll4 to thenegative terminal. When screw nut 79 reaches the end of its travel, S5will be opened when struck by the nut, and the motor will stop. If theoperator wishes to engage the propelling drive to move about, theelevating drive must be disengaged by raising knob 53, closing S4. Thepropelling drive must be engaged by depressing knob 51, closing switch53, permitting the motor to again run.

Of course the location of knobs 51-57 is a matter of choice, as is theirin-out positions. Further, electrical means can be substituted for theBouden wire arrangements. The locations and manner of operation shownare merely one embodiment.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described, it will beunderstood that it is capable of many further modifications and thisapplication is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptions ofthe invention following in general, the principles of the invention andincluding such departures from the present disclosure as come withinknowledge or customary practice in the art to which the inventionpertains, and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbeforeset forth and fall within the'scope of the invention or the limits ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A wheelchair having means for raising and lowering a person from asubstantially seated position to a substantially standing position, andvice versa, comprising:

a. a frame,

b. a supporting means including:

1. a seat pivotally supported to said frame, and

2. a back pivotally supported to said seat,

c. a single electric motor on said frame,

d. a rotatable member on said frame e. means for connecting said motorto said rotatable member, said connecting means including means forcontrolling the rotation of said rotatable member having an engagedposition and a disengaged position wherein said motor rotates saidrotatable member when said controlling'means is in the engaged positionand said motor is rotating,

f. a movable member movable by said rotatable member, and

g. means connecting said movable member to said supporting means wherebyrotation of said rotatable member in one direction will cause saidsupporting means to pivot from a seat-forming position to asubstantially upright position, and rotation of said rotatable member inthe other direction will permit said supporting means to return to itsseat-forming position.

2. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 wherein said rotatable member is ascrew and said connecting means includes a pulley connected to saidmotor, a pulley connected to said screw, a belt-like means surroundingsaid pulleys, and said controlling means includes means for selectivelytensioning said belt-like means.

3. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including automatically responsivemeans for de-energizing said motor when said raising and lowering meansreaches its extreme substantially seated and standing positions.

4. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including invalid support meansconnected to said raising and lowering means and braking means forslowly lowering said invalid support means in the event of a breakage ofa supportive portion of the device.

5. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including means for operating saidcontrolling means and means for operating said motor means, saidoperating means including a plurality of actuating means mountedadjacent an arm of the wheelchair.

6. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 wherein said rotatable member is ascrew and said movable member is a block transversely movable on saidscrew, and said connecting means includes:

a. a cable connected to said block,

b. said cable being connected to a crank arm, and

c. said crank arm being connected to said supporting means.

7.' A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including arm rests pivotallysupported to said frame and back; said frame, seat, back and arm restsforming a parallelo gram.

8. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including means for restraining aperson to the seat and back.

9. A wheelchair as defined in claim 3 wherein said rotatable member is ascrew and further including a block on said screw, said de-energizingmeans including a pair of limit switch means spaced from each otheralong said screw and adapted to be actuated by movement of said block.

10. A wheelchair as defined in claim 4 wherein said braking meansincludes a spring return cylinder having one end connected to saidsupporting means and another end connected to non-raising and loweringmeans on the frame.

1 1. A wheelchair having means for raising and lowering a person from asubstantially seated position to a 7 substantially standing position,and vice-versa, comprising:

a. a frame b. an invalid supporting means including:

1. a seat pivotally supported on said frame, and

2. a back pivotally supported to said seat, 3. arms pivotally supportedto said frame and back,

whereby said frame, seat, back and arm rests form a pair ofparallelograms in all positions of the elements,

in one direction causes the supporting means to pivot from aseat-forming position to a substantially upright position, and rotationof said rotatable means in the other direction will permit saidsupporting means to return to its seat-forming position.

12. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 1 wherein said connecting meansincludes means for controlling the rotation of said rotatable member,said controlling means having an engaged position and a disengagedposition wherein said motor rotates said rotatable member when saidcontrolling means is in the engaged position.

13. A wheelchair as defined in claim 11 wherein said rotatable member isa screw, said cooperating means further including a transversely movableblock on said screw.

14. A wheelchair as defined in claim 11 including a foot rest connectedto said frame and immovable with said supporting means.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIoE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,807,795 Dated April 30, 1974 v IIL'SVEIICOTKS) CHQRLES M. WEANT andARTHUR SCHWARTZ It is certified that error appears in theaboveidentified patent and that said-Letters Patent are hereby correctedas shown below:

IN THE SPECIFICATION:

Column 2, line 24, change "plane" to -plan-; line 48,

change "frame" to -brace--; line 54, change "elements" to -portions-;line 66, change "the frame" to -an arm support-- Column 3, line 1,change "Bouden" to Bowden; line 5,

change "frame" to -brace line 23, change "back 31" to seat 25-; line 24,change "side" to seat--; same line, change "45" to 27--; line 33, change"1 and 2" to 2 and 3; lines 39 and 40, change "Bouden" to --Bowden--;line 55, change "pulley" to 'belt ll0-; same line, change "it" to pulleyll4 Column 4, line 37, change "2" to -l; line 38, change "line 2" toline L2-; line 55, before "L14" insert -Sl,.

Column 5, line 18, change "pulled" to -driven; line 20, delete "bell";line 21, change "crank arm 134" to block 79-;

line 42, change "'53" to -S3--; line 46, change "Bouden" to -Bowden-mFORM PO-IOSO (IO-69) USCOMWDC 605mm $1 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:I969 0-356-334,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Page 2 P n3.801.795 Dated April 30. 1974 'rventofl HARLEs M. WEAN'I' and ARTHURSCHWARTZ- It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIGURE 4, change "45" to 27- and "31" to -25--.

FIGURE 10 change the arrow in Switch S2,. Pole 3 from Position 2 toPosition 1.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of February 1975.

(SEAL) Attest: I

C MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officerand Trademarks FORM P0-1050 (10-69) uscoMM-oc 60375-P69 U.S GOVERNMENTPRINTING OFFICE i969 O366-334.

1. A wheelchair having means for raising and lowering a person from asubstantially seated position to a substantially standing position, andvice versa, comprising: a. a frame, b. a supporting means including: 1.a seat pivotally supported to said frame, and
 2. a back pivotallysupported to said seat, c. a single electric motor on said frame, d. arotatable member on said frame e. means for connecting said motor tosaid rotatable member, said connecting means including means forcontrolling the rotation of said rotatable member having an engagedposition and a disengaged position wherein said motor rotates saidrotatable member when said controlling means is in the engaged positionand said motor is rotating, f. a movable member movable by saidrotatable member, and g. means connecting said movable member to saidsupporting means whereby rotation of said rotatable member in onedirection will cause said supporting means to pivot from a seat-formingposition to a substantially upright position, and rotation of saidrotatable member in the other direction will permit said supportingmeans to return to its seat-forming position.
 2. A wheelchair as definedin claim 1 wherein said rotatable member is a screw and said connectingmeans includes a pulley connected to said motor, a pulley connected tosaid screw, a belt-like means surrounding said pulleys, and saidcontrolling means includes means for selectively tensioning saidbelt-like means.
 2. a back pivotally supported to said seat, c. a singleelectric motor on said frame, d. a rotatable member on said frame e.means for connecting said motor to said rotatable member, saidconnecting means including means for controlling the rotation of saidrotatable member having an engaged position and a disengaged positionwherein said motor rotates said rotatable member when said controllingmeans is in the engaged position and said motor is rotating, f. amovable member movable by said rotatable member, and g. means connectingsaid movable member to said supporting means whereby rotation of saidrotatable member in one direction will cause said supporting means topivot from a seat-forming position to a substantially upright position,and rotation of said rotatable member in the other direction will permitsaid supporting means to return to its seat-forming position.
 2. a backpivotally supported to said seat,
 3. arms pivotally supported to saidframe and back, whereby said frame, seat, back and arm rests form a pairof parallelograms in all positions of the elements, c. a single electricmotor on said frame, d. rotatable means, e. means for connecting saidmotor to said rotatable means, f. means cooperating with said rotatingmeans including a crank arm, g. said crank arm being connected to saidseat at a point, whereby rotation of said rotatable means by said motorin one direction causes the supporting means to pivot from aseat-forming position to a substantially upright position, and rotationof said rotatable means in the other direction will permit saidsupporting means to return to its seat-forming position.
 3. A wheelchairas defined in claim 1 including automatically responsive means forde-energizing said motor when said raising and lowering means reachesits extreme substantially seated and standing positions.
 4. A wheelchairas defined in claim 1 including invalid support means connected to saidraising and lowering means and braking means for slowly lowering saidinvalid support means in the event of a breakage of a supportive portionof the device.
 5. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including means foroperAting said controlling means and means for operating said motormeans, said operating means including a plurality of actuating meansmounted adjacent an arm of the wheelchair.
 6. A wheelchair as defined inclaim 1 wherein said rotatable member is a screw and said movable memberis a block transversely movable on said screw, and said connecting meansincludes: a. a cable connected to said block, b. said cable beingconnected to a crank arm, and c. said crank arm being connected to saidsupporting means.
 7. A wheelchair as defined in claim 1 including armrests pivotally supported to said frame and back; said frame, seat, backand arm rests forming a parallelogram.
 8. A wheelchair as defined inclaim 1 including means for restraining a person to the seat and back.9. A wheelchair as defined in claim 3 wherein said rotatable member is ascrew and further including a block on said screw, said de-energizingmeans including a pair of limit switch means spaced from each otheralong said screw and adapted to be actuated by movement of said block.10. A wheelchair as defined in claim 4 wherein said braking meansincludes a spring return cylinder having one end connected to saidsupporting means and another end connected to non-raising and loweringmeans on the frame.
 11. A wheelchair having means for raising andlowering a person from a substantially seated position to asubstantially standing position, and vice-versa, comprising: a. a frameb. an invalid supporting means including:
 12. A wheelchair as defined inclaim 11 wherein said connecting means includes means for controllingthe rotation of said rotatable member, said controlling means having anengaged position and a disengaged position wherein said motor rotatessaid rotatable member when said controlling means is in the engagedposition.
 13. A wheelchair as defined in claim 11 wherein said rotatablemember is a screw, said cooperating means further including atransversely movable block on said screw.
 14. A wheelchair as defined inclaim 11 including a foot rest connected to said frame and immovablewith said supporting means.